Author Note: Welcome to my retelling of the intricate story of The Legend of Dragoon. This project spawned from late-night imaginings of my favorite childhood game, and over time, I decided to write some of it down. Since 2017, I've been telling the story, and I plan to continue until it has been completed.
This version of the story is not exactly the same as what you might remember. Some things have been modified or added to fill plot holes, and I've adjusted some characters to grant them depth that couldn't quite fit into a 1999/2000 JRPG. In the end, this is my personal retelling, the way I feel that it should have been. It is my passion and has been for many years.
I am also working to heavily revise several chapters, mostly the ones toward the beginning, as I have grown as an author since writing them. I believe they deserve more than what I could give them back when I began. That began with this first chapter, of course, but check back periodically if you'd like to see the later chapter updates.
Follow my Facebook and Instagram pages ( abbisonny) for updates whenever a new chapter is posted. I encourage you to leave reviews, even on older chapters that have been out for years. I love hearing feedback!
A girl and a boy played together on the edge of town, chasing each other through the tall grass as it inched ever closer to the trees. Giggles mingled with shrieks of feigned terror as the boy hefted a long, narrow stick, slashing it about wildly, the girl running and firing arrows disguised as pebbles back at him.
This was their favorite time of day: the time they got to themselves. There was no work to be done and no parents to bother them as they busied themselves somewhere else.
Feeling a surge of excitement, the girl turned and darted into the woods, the boy close behind calling out to her.
"Hey!" he cried, easily reaching her after only a few strides. Grabbing her arm, he spun her around, bending over until they were face to face. "You know we're not supposed to go in the woods. It's dangerous."
"I see people go into the woods all the time!" she insisted. "And they always come back alright."
The boy straightened and crossed his arms. "Like who?"
"Like my dad!"
"Your dad is a hunter."
"So?"
"That means he goes into the woods with weapons. He can protect himself."
She huffed and said, "It's not dangerous. And besides, you can protect me!"
He watched her for a long minute, eyes narrowed, before sighing in defeat.
"Fine," he whined. "But we have to be home soon. So, we can't take forever."
Clapping and bouncing with glee, she grinned at him before turning and running through the trees, skipping nimbly over fallen logs and low brush. For a moment, he merely watched her, a soft smile playing across his face, before he bounded after her.
They came to a tiny creek slowly cutting its way into the earth, layers of rock jutting out into the miniature valley. Without hesitation, the little girl climbed down the slippery stones until she splashed into the creek bed, water flowing over her bare toes. Looking up at him, she beamed before proceeding to stomp around, spraying the water about until it had soaked her calves. The boy leapt down to join her, landing as hard as he could. She giggled and kicked water up at him, and soon enough they were both dripping as they ran farther downstream, exclaiming whenever they found a particularly pretty stone.
He carefully kept her in his sights, senses constantly on alert for any dangers that may wander by. And yet, after several minutes, he forgot that they were miles from home. He forgot that they both had families waiting for them. He forgot that the rest of the world existed. Instead, in this moment, there existed only Shana and Dart.
The village was quiet on that chilly night. The fertile soil nearby eagerly awaited the spring crops that would be planted over the next few weeks, the trees almost ready to sprout new leaves, the earliest flowers preparing to send out their scented blossoms as the new cycle of life began. With winter behind them, the villagers lay down their heads and dreamt of new life and new opportunities.
On the southern edge of town, a young mother knelt by her daughter's bedside as she stuffed the blankets under the child. A big grin splayed out on her face as her arms were pinned to her sides, nothing but her soft, blonde hair free to move about.
"Good night, Momma!" said the little girl, her joy and contentment oozing out of her face.
With a tender smile, the mother bent forward and kissed the girl's forehead gently before pulling back and whispering, "Good night, dearest." Then standing, she blew out the candle next to the bed, leaving the room lit by nothing but soft rays of moonlight, and left, closing the door behind her.
Perfectly content, the little girl closed her eyes and sought out sleep. But tonight was a special night. Tonight was one of the nights when both moons shone brightly in her window.
This only happened once every few weeks, and seeing them dancing together was one of her favorite things. There, bright and big and ever hanging over her bed was the moon that always told her good night. And behind it, smaller and dimmer, the moon that said hello once a month.
"Good night, moons," she whispered. She closed her eyes once more and drifted off to sleep.
Just past the northern edge of town, a dozen men gathered on horses, each of them fidgeting restlessly. Behind them, watching the village with a fixed eye, sat a man draped with decorative armor, his navy cape rustling behind him in the occasional breeze, his face obscured by a heavy metal helmet. At his hip hung a mighty greatsword, and he waited with his arms crossed.
After several long minutes, a light streaked across the sky, and the armored man turned his head up sharply to watch the flaming arrow as it descended upon the southern side of the village. A moment later, another joined it, then another and another, and a second later, fire was raining from the heavens. The village was soon alight with orange and red flames.
"Great Commander?" muttered one of the restless men.
"Wait," replied the man simply. He did not stir for several more minutes, even as several cries sprang up around the small town. The simple wooden houses were engulfed, and screams rang out from every building as the people scrambled to safety. The commander shook his head.
"Go," he commanded. "In and out. Bring her to me unscathed. Harm no one."
All but two of the men slid off their horses and scampered away into the village, minds bent on retrieving their prize.
With a jolt, a young woman shot up in bed, heart pounding as her eyes darted about the room. Nothing had changed, except that orange glow... She stood abruptly and turned to look out her window, gasping when she saw what awaited her. Her hometown was in flames. Hurriedly, she changed her clothes, grabbing the first thing her hand found in her dresser, and pulled on her shoes before running to her bedroom door and wrenching it open.
"Mom!" she called down the hallway. "Dad!"
No reply came, but then she heard a shout coming from outside followed by the clanging of metal on metal. Rushing to the window, she glanced down and saw four figures rushing about, barely visible against the roaring fire. One of them seemed to be fighting back against three armored soldiers, and she thought she saw movement farther off in the darkness.
With no time to waste, she ran down the hallway and burst into her parents' room, but they were both sound asleep. She shouted, and they quickly roused, panic filling their faces as they leapt to their feet.
"The village is under attack!" she exclaimed. "Everything is on fire!"
"Take your mother and go," said her father, but she shook her head in defiance.
"I can't leave you," she protested.
"Then get my bow and let's find our way out the back door. Maybe we can make it to the woods."
Fighting to still her panic, she snatched her father's bow from the dresser, slung his quiver over her back, and nocked an arrow. Then she turned and led them down the hallway until she reached the stairs.
The foyer was open before her, and someone was pounding on the door.
"Go!" she whispered back as she drew back her bow and aimed at the door. "Hide or climb out a window!"
Bang.
"No, you have to come with us!" returned her mother.
"I'll be fine."
"No, listen!"
Bang.
"Shana," said her father, the weight of the word hanging in the air. She turned to him with curious eyes. "They're here for you. You have to come with us."
"What are you talking about?" she replied.
The door crashed open, and Shana refocused on it. As soon as she saw a figure, she fired her arrow, and the soldier fell to the floor clinging to his thigh. As quickly as she could, she aimed another, but her father had rushed onto the stairs.
"Dad!" she cried.
As another soldier entered the house, her father punched him, and the soldier collapsed. But the next was too fast. He drew a sword, and Shana fired. Her arrow stuck harmlessly in the door frame as the soldier raised his weapon, striking Shana's father on the head with the hilt. As her father crumpled, Shana, screamed and ran down the stairs, desperate to intercept any deadly wound, but the soldier turned his sword on her. She scrambled for another arrow, but she was defenseless as two other soldiers rushed into the room and tackled her. A moment later, she was on the floor, screaming at her mother to run even as two soldiers pinned her down. Then something struck her head, and she passed out.
"Careful," chided one of the soldiers as the girl's head knocked against the floor. "Unharmed, remember?"
"I believe the word he used was 'unscathed,'" replied the other as someone rushed up the stairs and knocked out the older woman.
"Same thing! Just be careful."
They lifted the girl gingerly, one holding her under her arms and the other under her knees. Two more soldiers came huffing into the house, one brandishing a sword and the other a spear, bursting through the door in a frenzy. Seeing their brothers-in-arms, they relaxed, sheathing their weapons.
"That guy was persistent," muttered one of the newcomers.
"We got him, though," replied the other smugly.
"Did you kill him?" asked the soldier carrying the girl's ankles. "The commander-"
"Relax! We didn't kill him. Wouldn't want to defy orders."
"I think it's nice," said the one holding her arms. "You know, not killing innocents for once."
"Nobody in Basil is innocent," snapped the first.
"What have these people done to deserve this? Farm to support their families?"
An explosion sounded from the burning village outside, and the men turned toward the door.
"Let's get her to the commander," the second soldier interrupted.
One worked to revive the unconscious soldier on the floor, and the other lifted the wounded and helped him out the door.
A soldier came down the stairs and approached the girl and eyed her carefully. A gloved hand drifted out and touched her forehead, brushing aside a strand of soft, brown hair as he did so.
"She's... beautiful," he whispered. "Why are we doing this?" He turned to the others. "Why are we taking her from her home?"
"Commander's orders," said the soldier at her head as he shrugged.
"Well, you're going to pop her joints out of socket carrying her like that. Let me take her."
He knelt and placed one arm under her back and the other under her knees, lifting her gently.
"Fruegel's men are going to have a field day with that," whispered the man supporting the wounded soldier.
"I think the commander will kill them if they do," returned the one now roused on the floor.
The soldier adjusted her weight and said, "Let's go. We've been here long enough."
They rushed out and ran as fast as they dared toward the northern edge of town until they came to a wooden fence. They helped each other over, and mere moments later, they came upon a group of three soldiers with armor like theirs, and among them sat the Great Commander.
"We have her, sir," announced the soldier carrying the girl.
"Set her down."
The soldier placed her gingerly on a bale of hay that had been procured from the nearby stables for this purpose and stepped back as the commander approached. He stood, his resplendent armor glinting in the distant firelight, face obscured by his helmet. He paused to look over her before kneeling and producing a small blue orb from his pocket. It flashed in the moonlight as he held it up over the girl's forehead, and a beam of light appeared, connecting the girl to the orb for an instant. Murmurs ran over the soldiers as the commander stood and pocketed the strange item.
"So, this is her," he muttered almost inaudibly. "We take her to the Black Castle," he announced.
"But, sir, don't the orders say to take her to Hellena?"
"Not if I have anything to say about it," snapped the commander.
The soldier cowered and stepped back.
"On a horse," he growled. "Let's go."
The men worked together to secure the unconscious woman to a saddle before they all mounted and took off west. Once they had reached a line of trees, they turned south, following their commander with an anxious attitude. At long last, the trees gave way to open sky, and they emerged onto a dirt road that headed farther west. The red glow of fire could still be seen on the eastern horizon.
Waiting on the road was a hooded man on a fine steed, his dark attire blending into the night air.
"What are you doing here?" demanded the commander.
"I don't think I really need to answer that question," replied the man, his voice slick and smooth. Dangerous.
"I have the girl. Let me be on my way."
"Show me."
"You don't trust me?"
"I don't trust anyone."
The commander sighed and flicked a finger. The horse carrying the girl trotted forward, and the soldier sitting behind her held her up, avoiding the hooded man's gaze.
"Test her," he ordered.
The commander hesitated. At long last, he shifted his horse forward, retrieved that odd little object again, and held it aloft between the girl's forehead and the moons. After a moment, the moonlight condensed into a single stream that focused on the girl before the commander whipped the gem away.
"Satisfied?"
"Very," replied the hooded man. "Now take her along to Hellena Prison."
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"She goes to the Black Castle."
"Under whose authority?"
"Mine. I am the Great Commander of the armies of Sandora. I make the call."
"I don't believe that is quite true."
"You work for Sandora, not the other way around," snapped the commander. "I supersede your authority."
"It is a direct command from Emperor Doel that this woman be transported to Hellena Prison."
"The Doel I know would never let a girl like that be put in a place meant for war criminals!"
"Perhaps you do not know the emperor as you thought," replied the man coolly.
The commander seethed, and the corner of the man's mouth turned into a smirk.
"Why is she so important?" demanded the commander. "Why Hellena? Why such security?"
"The world's fate rests on her."
"That's not an answer."
"That is all the answer you'll get."
The commander sighed angrily. "I don't know what you said to Doel to make him this way. He would never have sanctioned the burning of a village like this. He would never have agreed to kidnap a child from her home."
"It is merely a simple exchange," replied the hooded man. "And look—" He nodded toward the east where horsemen could be seen in the distance "—here come the men from Hellena as we speak. They will help you transport the girl, and they will make sure that she is delivered where she belongs. Should I return to Hellena at any time and find her condition… lacking, there will be blood spilled."
"You're not coming with us?"
"As fun as that would be, no. I am headed north."
"Into Basil? Why?"
The hooded man turned his horse toward the trees. "That is not your concern," he said before urging his horse into a gallop.
He had long disappeared into the trees by the time Fruegel's men arrived.
As the horses all came to a stop and information was exchanged, the commander's eyes drifted to the unconscious girl. She would be sure to wake soon, and she would surely be terrified, surrounded by soldiers she did not know, ignorant of her fateful destination, mourning the potential loss of her family.
The Great Commander merely shook his head as the two groups of soldiers shot off toward the west and then south. He could only do so much to protect the girl. Whatever schemes the hooded man was hatching, he would have no part of it.